Quality Enhancement Plan
Academic success is at the heart of our mission at Mississippi State University, and we are all dedicated to designing and offering our students the best learning opportunities (in and outside the classroom)—opportunities that prepare successful graduates and lifelong learners. As a part of this university-wide goal, and partnered with our Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmation process, MSU is about to embark on an exciting opportunity to design and implement a quality enhancement plan (QEP) that focuses on key learning issues of our MSU students and carefully designs learning opportunities that enhance student learning. Our proposed plan will be reviewed and approved by the SACSCOC on-site team at the time of our 2014 campus visit. Once implemented, the plan will be assessed over a five-year time period, and our results will be reviewed by SACSCOC at our next fifth-year interim report.
What is QEP
The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is any plan or project that targets the improvement or enhancement of student learning at MSU. The plan should focus on one or more specific learning measures and it must be something that can be assessed with direct and indirect measures. SACSCOC, our regional accrediting body, provides this definition of the QEP:
- The concept of quality enhancement is at the heart of the Commission's philosophy of accreditation. Each institution seeking reaffirmation of Accreditation is required to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Engaging the wider academic community and addressing one or more issues that contribute to institutional improvement, the plan should be focused, succinct, and limited in length. The QEP describes a carefully designed and focused course of action that addresses a well-defined topic or issue(s) related to enhancing student learning.
http://www.sacscoc.org/genaccproc.asp
QEP Topic Selection
Thirty-one members served on the QEP Topic Selection Task Force. Membership included two members from each of the eight colleges, two representatives from the Meridian Campus, University Libraries, and Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, and one member from University Athletics, Faculty Senate, First-Year Experience, Honors College, The Learning Center, The Career Center, Student Association, Staff Council, University Relations, and The Center for Teaching and Learning. QEP Topic Selection Task Force co-chairs were Dr. Angi Bourgeois and Dr. Connie Forde. Writing across the curriculum is the topic selected for the QEP.
QEP Development
Twenty-two members and four ex-officio members currently serve on the QEP Development Committee. Membership includes members from each of the eight colleges, one representative from the Meridian Campus, University Libraries, Student Association, First-Year Experience, Center for Teaching and Learning, University Relations, Student Affairs, Career Center, and Athletic Department. Ex-officio members include members of the Office for Institutional Effectiveness and a co-chair of the QEP Topic Selection Task Force. QEP Development Committee co-chairs are Dr. Rich Raymond and Dr. Connie Forde. This Committee is charged with designing the writing-across-the-curriculum five-year plan. The three subcommittees are Design, chaired by Dr. Rich Raymond; Assessment, chaired by Dr. Ned Browning; and Marketing and Communication, co-chaired by Dr. Melissa Moore and Dr. Deborah Lee.
